Items tagged with pixel 4
The Pixel 4 family is famous for its strong support from Google. Google tends to support the devices with three years of major Android OS, along with feature/security updates, which is much better than we typically expect from other Android OEMs. Google is now introducing a new category of updates for its Pixel devices, and it is calling it a "feature drop". Google says that feature drops bring bigger and more impactful updates than the typical security updates and bug fixes, and will come "on a regular basis." The first feature drop is coming later this month and includes a handful of new features for Pixel users. One of the most prominent additions is the ability for the Google Assistant to...
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One of the cool new features that the Google Pixel 4 offers users is its Recorder application. That app was initially only for the Pixel 4, but it now has expanded availability to cover most all Pixel devices including the Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4 smartphones. It's currently only offered for Pixel devices, not for other Android smartphones, however. The Recorder is more than the name would imply. It can record audio, but it uses AI and voice recognition to transcribe and caption label recordings in real-time, automatically. You could use the app to do things like record a meeting at work or a lecture at school and have a full transcription to look back on. Initially, Google has seemingly...
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Photography is an art form in every sense, and taking great looking photos can be challenging even when lighting conditions are ideal. Bad lighting will really test a photographer's skills, and night photography is especially tricky. That's what makes Google's Night Sight technology on its PIxel phones so awesome—it allows casual users to snap great looking photos of the night sky and other dark scenes. How exactly does the magic happen, though? Google provided some insight into its Night Sight feature in a new blog post, which explains how astophotography with Night Sight on Pixel phones is accomplished. This is not a brand new feature, of course, but as Google explains, this year's implementation...
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Amazon has unveiled some new Black Friday deals this week with big discounts on Google's latest smartphones - the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. These two smartphones haven't been out that long, and enthusiasts who want a pure Android experience might want to check out the deals. Amazon is offering the Pixel 4 with 64GB of storage space for $599, a discount of $200 off the normal $799 price tag. The version with 128GB of storage is on sale for the same $200 discount making it $699. All three available colors are eligible for the deal, including the Just Black, Clearly White, and Oh So Orange. The orange color is only available in the 64GB version. Google Pixel 4 Smartphone, 64GB - $200 off...
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If going by the calendar, Black Friday is about a week and a half away. The deals have already started to trickle out, and we suspect as Thursday, November 28 gets even closer in view, more bargains will make early debuts. In the meantime, companies have started previewing upcoming Black Friday discounts, including Google, which will be offering a range of gadgets on sale. One of the highlights is a $200 discount on unlocked Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL models. The slashed pricing will actually go into effect on Sunday, November 24, bringing the cost of entry down from $799 to $599 for the Pixel 4, and from $899 to $699 for the Pixel 4 XL. This presumably will apply to all three color options, those...
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The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are among the best smartphones that you can buy right now. However, if there is a complaint that has surfaced in many reviews, including our Pixel 4 XL review, it is that the screen isn't as bright as the competition. If you own one of these devices and have wished for a brighter, the good news is that there is a way to boost the brightness level. The bad news is that you will need to have root access to do it. High Brightness mode allows a bump in peak luminance for the screen of the Pixel 4 devices from about 450 nits to about 610 nits. If the brightness of the screen makes it hard for you to read the screen outdoors, this big bump in brightness might fix that...
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Without question, Google's Pixel 4 XL has been the most leaked smartphone of 2019 prior to its official launch. Heck, even Google teased the device and a key feature or two along the way, so it goes without saying, the hype was big for this fourth generation Pixel. Google tries to set the bar for Android ecosystem partners with respect to industrial design and new enabling technologies with its Pixel phones. And in fact, the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL bring with them a couple of firsts for made by Google devices, specifically a 90Hz display and wireless charging. The premise is that hopefully these new features are "done right" so to speak, or at least that the technology has matured enough to...
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The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the latest flagship smartphones from Google, and there are plenty of deals to be had if you're looking to make an upgrade. One especially hot deal is coming from Verizon, which is the largest wireless carrier in the United States. Verizon is piling on the discounts and even giving out freebies to customers, including up to $750 in discounts/credits and free Amazon hardware. The first part of the deal comes with a $200 prepaid Mastercard that is given to new customers that switch to a Verizon Unlimited plan with a new line of service when purchasing a Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL. Once you checkout with your new smartphone and service, Verizon directs you...
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Google has issued a statement explaining what situations warrant the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL automatically downgrading the display's native 90Hz refresh to 60Hz. The statement follows reports of the newest Pixel phones switching to the lower refresh rate when the brightness level is below 75 percent, which will be addressed in a future software update. The response is Google's equivalent of saying the refresh rate quirk as it relates to screen brightness is not a bug, it's a feature. However, it's not a feature users are happy about. Google's intentions are at least in the right place—the idea is to dynamically adjust the refresh rate to save battery life. What's curious about this behavior,...
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On this episode of HotHardware's 2.5 Geeks Marco, Dave, Brittany and Chris chat about the interesting, new LG G8X ThingQ with dual screen option, Dell’s sweet XPS 13 with Intel Ice Lake, lag-free wireless HDMI from the Nyrius Aries Pro, our Pixel 4 versus Galaxy Note 10 camera shootout, and details of our totally AWESOME killer gaming PC giveaway with Falcon Northwest, AMD, and Obsidian Entertainment! Show Notes: 04:04 - Impressions of the LG G8X ThinQ 12:40 - Dell XPS 13 (2019) Review: A Near-Perfect Intel 10th Gen Laptop 22:08 - Nyrius Aries Pro Wireless HDMI Kit Review: Low Latency Cord Cutting 30:04 - Pixel 4 XL Vs Galaxy Note 10 Pics: HDR, Portrait, Night Sight Shoot-Out 43:29 - 20th...
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Google's flagship Pixel 4 lineup has been out a week now, and as anticipated, the new phones debuted with 90Hz displays. The higher refresh rate puts the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL in gaming phone territory, even though these are not classified as gaming handsets. Interestingly, however, it's been discovered the brightness level dictates whether the 90Hz setting actually works. Outside of playing games that can support framerates above 60 frames per second, a 90Hz refresh rate can make scrolling and navigation on a smartphone even smoother. However, it can also drain a battery faster than a 60Hz setting. To contend with that, Google employs an algorithm to dynamically switch the refresh rate, dropping...
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Lots of Android fans who have pre-ordered a Pixel 4 smartphone are waiting in anticipation for the smartphone to ship. One of the new features of the Pixel 4 is Face Unlock, and Google designed face unlock in a way that many feel lessens the security of the device. Google has said that it will be issuing a software update to address the issue in the coming months. The problem that some have with the device is that face unlock will unlock the phone even if the user's eyes are closed. Not requiring a person's eyes to be open would mean that someone could pick up the phone and unlock it while the owner slept or while they were unconscious. Most face unlock-style features on devices, such as the...
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Some fans of the Pixel 4 smartphone who ordered one weren't happy to hear that Google isn't offering free original quality photo uploads to Google Photos. Free original quality uploads had been an offering in the past as a much-appreciated perk for Pixel device owners. A redditor has furthered inflamed those tensions, pointing out that iPhone users have been enjoying unlimited original quality backups on Google Photos for free. Google says that it is a bug, and that it will be addressed. iPhone users get free original quality backups because the iPhone itself saves its images in HEIC format according to Android Police. The format provides a smaller file size than a compressed JPEG that most...
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The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones debuted earlier this week, and already there is an issue with the devices that may make those who are security conscious uncomfortable with one of its key features. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL both support Face Unlock to authenticate the device. Google has confirmed that its face detection tech will unlock the device for people even when their eyes are closed. Apple's Face ID system, for instance, won't work if the user has their eyes closed by default and are actively looking at the display. Face Unlock working with the eyes closed isn't a flaw with the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Google designed the facial detection system to work purposefully with eyes closed. The...
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